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Royals running out of time on All-Star ballot

Royals running out of time on All-Star ballot

5/9/13: Alex Gordon crushes a two-run home run to right field against Freddy Garcia to give the Royals a 2-1 lead

By Dick Kaegel
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MLB.com |

KANSAS CITY -- Royals fans will have to be rapidly stuffing the ballot box if they want any of their hometown heroes in the American League All-Star starting lineup.

Left fielder Alex Gordon, an early favorite with voters, has slipped from the eighth to ninth spot among the top 15 AL outfielders in the latest vote totals, which were announced on Saturday.

Gordon has 1,239,771 votes. The three outfield leaders are Adam Jones of the Orioles (3,571,693), Mike Trout of the Angels (3,548,195) and Nick Markakis of the Orioles (1,915,860).

The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field in New York on Tuesday, July 16. Come to MLB.com for extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

Salvador Perez has not cracked the top five among catchers, despite out-hitting everyone in the league except the Twins' Joe Mauer, who leads the balloting. A year ago, Perez was just returning to the Royals' lineup after knee surgery -- too late to encourage All-Star vote backing. This year he's been healthy and an important part of the club.

"He's kind of the heart and soul of our team," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He's got so much energy, so much life. He's such a force behind the plate. He's a great offensive producer for us in the middle of our lineup and we missed him when he was out last year."

First baseman Eric Hosmer should be rising to prominence among voters by hitting .316 in June (enter Satuday) after a slow first two months. The Orioles' Chris Davis leads all AL first basemen in votes.

Fans may submit 25 online ballots during the voting period but can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, fans must be logged into an MLB.com account when submitting any online ballot. To obtain an MLB.com account, visit www.mlb.com and register in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Fans can also once again participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league whom they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2013 Home Run Derby -- part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day -- will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 15.

Though originally scheduled for July 7, the 2013 rosters will now be unveiled Saturday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell. The show will be televised nationally on FOX.

From Saturday, July 6 to Thursday, July 11, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com for the final player for each League's All-Star roster.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16. Come to MLB.com for extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

The 84th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM also will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.